100,000+ Ukrainian servicemen have fled from armed forces: Lawmaker
2 Min Read
Lawmaker Anna Skorokhod reveals that over 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen and soldiers have deserted from the army, without specifying the timeframe over which the escapes took place.
-
Ukrainian infantrymen train with French soldiers to learn combat skills, in France, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP)
More than 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen deserted from the armed forces or willingly left their units, lawmaker Anna Skorokhod revealed.
Speaking to Ukrainian news portal Novyny Live on Tuesday, Skorokhod said she would not reveal the exact figure, but confirmed that over 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen deserted from the army or left their units unauthorized, without providing the timeframe over which these movements were recorded.
It is worth noting that evasion from military service in Ukraine is punishable by law and could result in imprisonment for up to five years.
Given the substantial number of deserters, as well as the massive losses and casualties the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered, particularly since launching the aggression on the Kursk region, Kiev decided to recruit even more soldiers, although over a million have been enlisted since the beginning of the war.
According to MPs and media reports, Kiev plans to enlist 160,000 additional troops within the next three months.
“We aim to call up 160,000 more individuals, which will allow us to staff military units with up to 85% personnel,” Ukrainian MP Alexey Goncharenko added, citing information from Alexander Litvinenko, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
Shortly after, the AFP said that these troops would be called up within the next three months, citing an unidentified "security source." The Ukrainian Armed Forces had around 250,000 active-duty members at the start of 2022, a figure that quickly increased when Volodymyr Zelensky called up reservists and prohibited draft-age individuals from leaving the country.
In response to growing casualties, Kiev reduced the draft age from 27 to 25 and dramatically tightened mobilization standards, requiring potential recruits to go to conscription offices for "data validation." These examinations frequently result in persons being instantly drafted into the army and deployed to the front line.
Read more: Ukraine should ban kids fleeing, must live hardship: Kiev politician
